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Head of Risk & Assurance

Permanent

Full-time

Job ID:

40383

Published date:

15-07-2026

Summary

port

Job Title Head of Risk & Assurance

Directorate Finance and Corporate Services

Reports to Director of Legal Services

Job Purpose

To provide strategic and operational leadership for Risk and Assurance, ensuring effective delivery, sound governance, informed decision making and continuous improvement in support of organisational priorities.

Sport England continues to evolve, strengthening its ability to deliver ‘Uniting the Movement’. This role will support effective governance, assurance and decision-making through organisational change, working with senior stakeholders to embed proportionate risk management, internal control and continuous improvement. The post holder will also manage the delivery of internal audit through external suppliers.

To be a successful Head of Risk & Assurance, you will need to display the highest standards of professionalism, objectivity, fairness, expertise, integrity, and vision. You will be responsible for developing, maintaining, and maximising effective working relationships with colleagues through proactive collaboration and advocating the assurance function across Sport England.

As a senior leader, the post holder will role model Sport England’s values, build effective relationships across the organisation, and use evidence and insight to influence good governance, risk management and assurance practice.

Dimensions

Direct Reports 1

Location Homeworking / Hybrid in Loughborough or Bisham Abbey

Key Stakeholders Executive Leadership Team (ELT), Senior Management, Audit, Risk & Governance Committee (ARGC), Internal Audit service providers, Investment Management Team.

Key Duties and Responsibilities	% Time
Risk Identify, lead, and implement the continuous improvement of Sport England’s Risk and Assurance framework to strengthen performance, capability and resilience Set a clear strategic direction for the management of key strategic, operational and compliance risks in collaboration with ELT and the Audit, Risk and Governance Committee. By embedding Orange Book principles. lead the organisation’s risk-maturity journey by strengthening leadership ownership of risk, ensuring consistency approach so that risk intelligence routinely informs investment design, programme assurance, business planning and organisational performance. Provide trusted expert advice to senior leaders and stakeholders enabling the organisation to effectively manage material risks, ensuring external developments are anticipated, appropriately escalated and proportionate mitigation identified and monitored Ensure resources, priorities and plans are aligned to deliver agreed outcomes and manage demand effectively within functional area Co-ordinates business continuity planning activity across the organisation ensuring that critical processes are periodically tested for crisis situations	55%
Internal Audit Manage Sport England’s strategic relationship with its internal auditors to ensure the maximising the value added through the outsourcing of internal audit. Act as lead advisor to the Executive Leadership Team and Audit Risk and Governance Committee on internal audit plans, outcomes, and implementation of recommendations. Contributing to the drafting of Sport England’s Governance Statement. Ensure Internal Audit Plan is integrated with risk register to highlight opportunities for efficiency and effectiveness	10%
Internal Governance & Assurance Lead the establishment and implementation of best practice internal governance practices acting as senior point of contact on all internal governance matters. Corporate owner of key internal governance policies (including counter-fraud, anti-bribery and corruption, declarations and conflicts of interest and whistleblowing) and monitors compliance with them. Monitoring and assessing Sport England’s compliance with all Government Functional Standards. Work closely with first-line teams to embed sound internal control practices and proportionate assurance arrangements that support these forums and underpin effective decision making. Embed the assurance frameworks within business planning and investment management processes, enabling shared ownership of good governance and control. Lead the response to compliance issues, including data evaluation and preparation of reports. Lead the development and implementation of organisation wide policies, and procedures, raising awareness of compliance programs, including mandatory and refresher training.	35%
Pervasive Provides direction, judgement and accountability. Manages, supports and develops others. Builds effective relationships and collaboration. Communicates clearly and adapts approach, influencing where appropriate Plans, prioritises and organises work effectively. Manages budgets and resources responsibly. Uses evidence and learning to improve outcomes. Uses professional and specialist knowledge, standards, frameworks and processes relevant to the function Applies relevant strategy, policy, governance and compliance requirements. Interprets complex information and translates it into practical advice, plans or actions Uses evidence, insight and evaluation to improve delivery and impact Builds capability through support, coaching and knowledge sharing. Role models professional and inclusive behaviours. Creates a positive, collaborative and high-performing team culture. Leads a culture consistent with the Nolan principles of integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership reinforcing shared responsibility for protecting public funds.	N/a

Organisation Value and Behaviours

Ambitious – Determined in pursuit of our goals, prioritising work and partnerships that will most advance our mission, help us succeed and make a positive impact on our nation.
Innovative – Curious, optimistic, and relentless, we question established ways of working and learn from each other and from our experiences.
Inclusive – Harnessing our collective strength and respecting difference to create the conditions for everyone to engage and to excel.
Collaborative – One team, committed to delivering together and working with others to make a difference to people’s lives.

Person Specification

The additional skills, knowledge and experience required.

Essential

A professionally qualified accountant or audit professional with suitable internal audit experience.
Significant experience in risk management and/or internal audit within a complex organisation (charity, public sector, or regulated environment desirable).
Proven track record of developing and embedding enterprise risk management frameworks, including strategic and operational risk registers.
Experience of designing and delivering internal audit programmes, including planning, execution, reporting and follow-up of actions.
Knowledge, awareness, and ability to incorporate the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards and Government Functional Standard for Internal Audit (GovS 009) into Sport England’s internal audit practices.
Strong understanding of risk management frameworks and methodologies (e.g. ISO 31000 or equivalent).
Working knowledge of orange book principles, evidenced by working in a relevant risk environment.

Strong influencer, who can collaborate with stakeholders at all levels of the business.

Experience of undertaking investigations and/or proactive reviews autonomously.

Desirable

Experience of business continuity planning and crisis preparedness, including

testing and assurance activities.

Ability to design and deliver training, building risk awareness and capability

across the organisation.

Read More Apply Now

Group Risk Analyst - 6 month FTC

London, UK

Permanent

Full-time

Job ID:

40118

Published date:

03-07-2026

Summary

Job title	Group Risk Analyst
Business area	Internal Audit & Risk, Finance Group, London
Job purpose	A great opportunity to work with different teams across M&S, reviewing the effectiveness of risk management activities, challenging, and supporting improvements to the control environment as well as adding value to the business during the significant ongoing transformational change. The role of Internal Audit & Risk (‘IA&R’) is to provide independent and objective feedback to the Audit Committee and Business Leadership on key risks to the business and the appropriateness and effectiveness of mitigating controls. The functional remit is extensive and covers all commercial and functional activities. The team also provides consulting support to project teams on the design and implementation of business process controls and conducts investigations in the event of a significant control failure.
Level & Grade	C
Reporting to	Group Risk Manager
Direct reports	0
Scope of the role	The role is wide ranging, covering all business areas in the UK and internationally and involves interaction and engagement across all levels of the organisation. A key aspect of the role will be to manage key risk relationships across the business and support the Group Risk Manager to coordinate the end-to-end group risk reporting process, including supporting the business in risk management process, collating the key group risks and tracking actions against mitigation plans. To act as a central point of contact for the business on all risk related matters.

Key accountabilities & responsibilities

Risk Delivery

Supporting the half yearly group risk review process, including preparation of the half-yearly Group Risk reports for the Executives, the Executive Committee, the Audit Committee and reports for external disclosure.
Supporting the facilitation of ongoing identification, management and reporting of key risks, including emerging risks, across the business through the half yearly group risk reviews, including leading discussions in some areas of the business.
Supporting the qualitative review of risk registers across the business and consolidation of key risks into the principal risks and uncertainties.
Supporting the development and maintenance of a risk appetite framework for the review and reporting relevant information to senior stakeholders. This includes collecting and collating appropriate data from the business in relation to key risk indicators.
Maintaining the Group risk guidance material and supporting its practical application across the business.
Assisting with the assessment and roll-out of a risk management tool across the business and ongoing management of this.

Stakeholder and Relationship Management

Actively developing strong relationships with a wide range of business contacts to gain knowledge and insight into the issues affecting the business and maintaining effective communication on risk.
Assisting the business with identifying appropriate risk improvement actions and maintaining quarterly action status reporting to monitor progress against risk mitigations.
Adopting the M&S behaviours during interactions with the business to give credibility to the risk work undertaken.

Continuous Improvement

Updating and expanding knowledge of good practices, professional developments, industry changes and sharing these across the risk community within the business and within the internal audit team (as relevant). This includes maintaining risk contacts in the industry to share good practice with.
Providing ideas and challenge to improve our risk methodology, the control environment and the effectiveness of business risk mitigation plans.

Note that where capacity allows outside of risk delivery, there may be opportunity to support internal audit delivery, working with experienced internal audit colleagues.

Key skills

Excellent communication, both written and verbal.
Ability to understand, assess and articulate on key areas of risks, as well as provide objective challenge to mitigation plans.
A strong team player, capable of building and maintaining effective relationships.
Customer focused, with the confidence to deal with and influence at all levels.
Integrity and objectively.
Commercial acumen with the ability to challenge and make practical suggestions that will add value to the risk management activities.
Excellent analysis and problem-solving skills.
A curious and sceptical mindset.
Ability to adopt to new ways of working.
Demonstrable knowledge of risk management and relevant practical experience in the identification and assessment of risks as well as proposing appropriate mitigation activities.
Appropriate risk qualification desirable.
Experience of implementing and maintaining a risk tool would be advantageous, as would be experience in retail.

Key relationships

Audit Committee
Executive Directors
Business Unit Directors
Functional Heads

OUR M&S CULTURE & BEHAVIOURS

Culture is the result of consistent behaviours. It’s what you see week in, week out, in how we work.

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